New Hair, New Nails ;)

 

I have been going back & forth with my hair.. I literally styled my hair every night & if it did not turn out exactly the way I expected or better I went to my go-to style: top/high bun. I love this look so much. I would do it every day if I didn’t desire to do other things with my hair. O_o

 

I have heat damage in the middle & on the sides. In the middle is just wavy but on the sides it’s straight as a board. Truth be told, when I first started going natural I still desired straight hair in fear that my own curls wouldn’t measure up to my “dream curl” expectations. I just told myself that as long as I didn’t chemically straighten my hair it had to be ok. That CAN be true but there’s only so much straightening the hair can take without the actual curl pattern been altered. These are just the facts.

After my hair grew out a lot, I actually LOVED my curl pattern. My curls are the size of pens.

But I want to give my hair a break for now. I have pushed & pushed it to perform to my liking for a couple of weeks now. I just want it to grow & rest. I am the Founder of a hair company called Obsessive Nature, so I decided to go back to a weave for a while. Unfortunately, what I purchased in the past caused my hair to be straightened so it could blend naturally. Instead of going that route this time (to save my hair from further heat damage) I decided to go with a tight curl pattern that blends seamlessly with my natural hair.

When I tell you I love this hair, I REALLY LOVE THIS HAIR. It gives me the fullness I desire with the semi-carefree maintenance I need. I left a very small patch out at the top & all I have to do is  twist it together at night along with wetting & gelling (is that a word) it. The lengths are 14’, 16’, & 18’. I am not done reviewing this hair to sell on Obsessive Nature but if I’m happy with the overall results of this hair I will be selling it like hotcakes.

Now on to my nails!!! My friend recently did my nails with her Gelish Kit & it turned out fabulous. So naturally I had to try it myself. If you can polish you can do Gelish. I have pink, white, & clear acrylic at home but compared to the ease of Gelish my acrylic can be a BIG hassle. With the Gelish, there isn’t a loud, tear-jerking, throat-clogging smell, which can result from doing your nails at home. The color below is called: “Go Girl.”

kThe Gelish Kit was purchased from Sally’s Beauty Supply Store. Everything in this kit is mini-sized so be prepared for that. [shrugs] I always want more. The kit includes: pH Bond, Foundation, Top It Off, Nourish (cuticle oil), Nail Surface Cleaner (alcohol), & Artificial Nail Remover. And as a “bonus” there is: a mini wooden file, orangewood stick, plastic pusher, prep tabs, instructional DVD, & a brochure.

I did realize after I made it home (figures) that because I already have a “Nail Salon” at home that I didn’t need anything but the pH Bond, Foundation, & Top It Off. I wouldn’t have saved much but that little could have went towards the colors that I also bought that night.

*on the left is “Go Girl”
*on the right is “A Petal For Your Thoughts” I haven’t tried that one yet but soon.

I also had to purchase a UV light, which is a mini version that worked just fine. I purchased the adapter as well because I hate trying to buy battieries. The drying times weren’t bad either. For the first layer, the foundation the curing time is 1 minute. All other layers including the color & Top It Off will max at 3 minutes each to cure under the UV light. When you’re done curing the final layer which is the Top It Off, you won’t have to worry at all about messing up your nails because they are completely dry. I will have to admit that when I was done I still tried to watch what I touched & handled in fear of messing up my nails.. What can I say? That’s just habit when doing my nails.

Good Times

A day AND night out on the town with my friends was quite awesome.

We checked out a super chill restaurant called Onix. They have a live band on Saturday night from 8-11:30 but this is for the mature at heart. The band indulged in many oldie hits from Aretha Franklin to Johnny Taylor. I mean we didn't know every song but we were familiar with the majority of it. It was the perfect place for a date with its low lighting & intimate setting. It is definitely in need of more space but hopefully that is in their near future plans! The prices were steep but the food was pretty good.  I enjoyed a Shrimp Alfredo Pasta topped with Parmesan & tomatoes [Those tomatoes HAD to be home grown because they were so fresh & juicy, similar to my father's.] That entree by itself was $18 before taxes. There was also a cover charge of $10 per person that I forgot to mention.
If you're looking for an entertaining night to feed the maturing soul in you check out Onix in downtown Memphis & shoot me an email.

The Babes & I ate at Applebees for his birthday. We ate at the Sycamore View location... It is set up differently than the one I am used to in Starkville, MS. For example, when we walked in there was a huge awkward waiting area. I say awkward because it felt like something should have been there but was not. Then as we were seated there were far more higher seating platforms than 'regular' ones. Did that make sense? The lighting was bright & uncomfortable. Not much privacy for our date. I felt like the entire restaurant was included in on me giving my Babes his card & gift. [thumbs down] I will go back [maybe with a group of friends] because I know what to expect now. [shrugs]

On another note…
It's going on 2 weeks that I have been sick now. It’s terrible but for the last couple of nights I have been able to breathe throughout the night & not wake up with a completely dry mouth & throat. I have had Theraflu, Tylenol Cold & Congestion, Day Quill, & Tylenol Cold & Flu. I am not well yet! Now I am not doing anything, just leaving it up to my body to fight off the infection.
Until next time...

Catch Up? We Shall!

I promise it will not be this long before I post again! I have truly been trying to decide what I wanted to post next. I want to my readers interested & get them to even [deep breath in] subscribe to my blog…

I hope you’re enjoying the new look of my page.. I did it all by myself. [I’m sure you can notice.] I want it to come off as classic, yet unique. ? How’d I do?

First off, the babes & I had a taste for Chinese last night so, we just took a stab in the dark trying China Wok on Germantown PKWY [for those of you who live in the Cordova area]. We really hit gold. The food had lots of flavor & was very filling [you know sometimes you can eat chinese food & 30 minutes to an hour later you’re hungry again]. I am so happy that it didn’t end up being some ‘sketch’ place. It was at a reasonable price even for delivery! General Tso Chicken & Lo Mein!

 

On to my most important news! So, I was on YouTube [I watch A LOT of YT] watching natural hair videos [I’m natural.] on products and styles & came across a few using the Shea Moisture line. I have been looking for new hair products but I have really been too scared to try them in fear that they might not work. I’m thinking to myself that this could work… But I was not quite sold yet.

Until I received a little motivation from Target’s BOGO 50% off for Shea Moisture hair products! The sale will be going on until February the 23rd or 28th. So catch it while you can curlies.

Here are the products I decided to purchase:

I decided to go with these particularly products because of the promise to eliminate dandruff & dry scalp. & Man do I have it bad. I am hoping that the African Black Soap will hold up against my scalp.

This was my first time using products made for naturals. You may be thinking that is ok but my last relaxer was June 2011. I should have been treating my hair. Moving on, my hair was a breeze to detangle when I washed it AND after it air dried a bit. I have NEVER experienced this before. I didn’t lose half as much hair either. I am very pleased.

The shampoo is a clarifying shampoo, which I needed because I had days and days of ECO Styler gel in my hair. It made my hair feel kind of dried out but I was still able to comb through it. Dry but not tangled. Oxymoron.

The conditioner restored the moisture quickly. I appreciate the pump because it keeps me from using too much. I tend to that often.

The Elixir (the small spray bottle of top of the Curl Enhancing Smoothie) seems like a finisher for the whole dry scalp system. It did not make my hair feel one way or another that I noticed.

The Curl Enhancing Smoothie smells like everything you can expect from a tropical island with crystal blue waters, white sand, a nice breeze, coconut trees… I drifted there for a moment but it really is some good smelling stuff. A little goes a long way with the Smoothie. I applied it to my hair as I was doing my twists.

Stick with me, while I figure out my hair regimen & appreciate my God given curls.

Cross your fingers that my twist out comes out looking like a Sherry-Satisfied twist out. I’m hard to please.

LiveJournal Tags: food,Chinese Restaurant,China Wok,Cordova,TN,Shea Moisture,African Black Soap,Shampoo,Conditioner,Natural Hair,Curly,Twist Out,Life,Hair Regimen

But Nikki’s So Little

On Friday January 25th, at 9:40, my mom called like normal. I answered the phone in a chipper mood because I knew she was on her way to work but after my cheerful greeting I heard the sobs. She began to tell me that Nikki was in an accident and on her way to the ER. I was weak to the words, crying instantly. Is she ok? Where is Dash [my nephew]? Is he ok? What happened? Thank God that just hours before he was dropped off at his gma Sherry’s house.

As Tre, my boyfriend comforted me, I sobbed and sobbed because that’s all I could do 3 hours away. When my parents arrived at the ER, they weren’t allowed to see Nikki for at least 45 minutes to an hour. It was killing me because I didn’t know how she was & destroying my mom because she couldn’t see her. Time passed by very slowly, until they finally let my parents along with my uncle, brother & his family, who had arrived, go to the trauma room to see her.

My brother called me at 11:00pm saying I’d better get on my way because she was pretty banged up, come on now. She was being transported to University Medical Center in Jackson, MS. I wanted to be careful but more than anything I wanted to already be there.

[*PHOTOS courtesy of KosciuskoOnline, kosy911.net]

I arrived at 2:55am. They wouldn’t allow anyone to see her for a while. In the waiting room, my dad was attempting to tell me about her injuries. But I was not prepared to see my sister this way when I entered her room… Thankfully she was completely coherent, allowing me to breathe my first sigh of relief.

I just held her hand and talked to her. She was a bit uncomfortable in the neck brace & in quite a lot of pain. All I could smell was blood. Embedded on the right side of her face, ear, and edge of her hairline was shattered glass. I wanted to cry but I had to be strong so, I told her some of my thoughts when I talked to God on the trip to see her. I kept telling her that a few days from now the pain she feels now will only be a memory. She asked me why this happened? How did I respond? God knew your strength & that you could use this situation as a testimony.

Time seemed to pass by rather quickly but she was still in the same room. Finally, a doctor came in and the extent of her injuries were finally known. She broke the axel, which connects the spine to the skull, broke her shoulder, & punctured her liver. She also discovered that she could not hear out of her right ear. The spinal injury was priority which carried the risk of being paralyzed. This was the only information that literally brought tears to my eyes, so I prayed.

[fast forward to Sunday, January 27th] What an on time God we serve! She did not have to have any surgery. The risk of being paralyzed was out. (Whew!) There was talk about a specialized neck brace or a halo but the neck brace was chosen. (Thank God!) The shoulder will heal on its on and so will the liver laceration. And as for the hearing loss? The notion of it all was null & void on Monday morning when she heard me rubbing my fingers by her right ear. (*lifts hand to the sky) Thank ya!

We were in such high spirits, even Nikki. (I’ll explain) She was still not able to eat until they ran more tests (it didn’t make sense to me) but she asked for a pen & paper. I gave it to her. What did she write? I have some nabs in my pocket [the pocket of the jeans she had on Friday]. I laughed asking her if she wanted them. Her answer was heck yes! The rest of her written messages were so hilarious I had to share them below.

-If you love me | I’m dying her | Jesus would help me | Feed me please | I feel so empty

And to accompany these messages was a super-put-on pout and excessive whimpering. She had me and my mom cracking up. My sister is quite a character & nothing can keep her down.

Currently she is at our parents [released from the hospital on January 29th], recovering with an irritating (her words) neck brace, sleeping on the recliner for comfort.

I spoke with her tonight, January 31st, she told me the song that is her motivation & inspiration for her future is: Can’t Give Up Now by MaryMary.

We, as a family realize that God’s hand was definitely on this entire situation. It is definitely a wake up call for everyone to pay attention, to value life, to be careful, etc…

Who knows what the days may hold but God? God is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Rev 22;13 NIV)